Energy Locals Pty Ltd (ACN 606 408 879) applied to the commission for a licence to sell gas by retail under section 25 of the Gas Industry Act 2001 (Vic).

We may grant or refuse to grant applications for any reason we consider appropriate having regard to our objectives under the Gas Industry Act 2001 (Vic) and the Essential Services Commission Act 2001 (Vic).

On 6 May 2020 we granted the licence.

We have made our final decision on the maximum prices exempt sellers may charge customers in embedded networks.

From 1 September 2020, Victorian Default Offer prices will be the new maximum prices for all households and most businesses in embedded networks.

Residential embedded network customers could save between $180 to $360 while small businesses could save $900 to $2200 annually. Estimated savings are based on an assessment of the expected impact of the current Victorian Default Offer on standing offer prices as of May 2019.

Our final decision

Our final decision is that the maximum price for residential and small business customers (consuming less than 40 megawatt hours of electricity per year) within embedded networks will be set at the level of the Victorian Default Offer, covering most embedded network customers.

For a relatively small group of customers (including large businesses), we have not made a decision on prices. For these customers prices will remain at current levels - our final decision explains why.

New maximum prices apply from 1 September 2020.

Maximum prices for exempt sellers will automatically update to align with pricing resets for the Victorian Default Offer.

What is an exempt seller?

Some electricity sellers are exempt from requiring a retail licence. Generally exempt sellers buy electricity at a ‘gate’ meter, on selling it to individual customers.

Exempt sellers who sell electricity to residential and small business customers through an embedded network may include:

• apartment buildings
• caravan parks
• retirement villages
• shopping centres
• rooming houses.

We have completed our annual review of the minimum feed-in tariffs that your energy company pays you for power you export to the grid via sources including solar panels.

From 1 July 2020, retailers will continue to be able to offer solar system owners a single rate feed-in tariff, a time-varying feed-in tariff or both.

The table below shows how the time-varying feed-in tariff rate changes by time of the day and day of the week

Why the minimum feed-in tariff has gone down

We expect to see the minimum feed-in tariff rates to fluctuate each year depending on market expectations on the wholesale electricity prices.

The minimum feed-in tariff rate has gone down in 2020-21 due to the reduction in the forecast wholesale electricity component of the feed-in tariff during the 'solar hours'.

Annual changes in the minimum feed-in tariff are affected primarily by the changes in the forecast wholesale electricity price - the biggest component of the minimum feed-in tariff rate.

More detail can be found in our decision papers and consultant's report.

How does the minimum feed-in tariff affect me?

Your energy bills give you information on the feed-in tariff your retailer is paying you. Every plan is different, so you should always check to make sure your energy retailers offer you one that best suits your circumstances.

AGL LYP 1 Pty Ltd (ACN 078 121 187); AGL LYP 2 Pty Ltd (ACN 078 377 572); AGL LYP 3 Pty Ltd (ACN 078 377 572); and AGL LYP 4 B.V. (ARBN 073 074 530) applied to the commission under section 31 of the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic) seeking approval to transfer a licence granted by the commission in respect of the Loy Yang A Power Station.

The applicants sought approval for the licence to be transferred to AGL Holdco Pty Ltd (ACN 155 768 291) and AGL Generation Proprietary Limited (ACN 155 344 077).

We may grant or refuse to grant applications for any reason we consider appropriate regarding our objectives under the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic) and the Essential Services Commission Act 2001 (Vic).

The transfer was approved on 28 April 2020.

KSF Project Nominees Pty Ltd as trustee for KSF Project Trust (ACN 625 106 907) applied for a licence to generate electricity for supply or sale, and to sell electricity under section 18 of the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic). 

The applicant proposed to generate electricity at the Kiamal solar farm located approximately 100km south of Mildura, Victoria.

We may grant or refuse to grant applications for any reason we consider appropriate having regard to the our objectives under the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic) and the Essential Services Commission Act 2001 (Vic).

On 4 March 2020 we granted the licence.

Why are we proposing changes?

Since mid-2018, we have published over 1,500 registration exemptions and received many enquiries about registering exemptions.

We have undertaken an administrative review of the guideline following our discussions with stakeholders, and propose to make changes to provide further clarity.

What are the key changes?

The main changes proposed to the registration guideline include:

• clarifying language such as the terms: exempt seller and exempt supplier
• clarifying the deemed generation exemption category
• clarifying which exemptions caravan parks and similar sites need when undertaking certain sale and supply activities
• specifying the requirement to register a network exemption with the Australian Energy Regulator in some circumstances
• clarifying that one multiple activity exemption will cover all the sites and customers under a solar power purchase agreement provider’s contracts
• specifying how registration exemptions can be cancelled.

Stakeholder feedback

Submissions on the changes closed on Friday, 11 October 2019.

If you have any questions please email exemptionregister@esc.vic.gov.au or phone 03 9032 1300.